Conferences

Aerial view of my town showing the horizon

Naturally enough, conferences have been much on my mind of late.  I thought I would share some thoughts...

A conference is so much greater than the sum of its parts.  The whole package adds up to an event that can inspire, inform and broaden horizons. 

Choosing the theme of Confluences, we looked at inviting instructors who - in many ways - epitomize the theme.  They look at how cultures inform each other.  They look at how the various stages of fibre prep affect each other.  They look at how manipulation of the materials can create a range of qualities of cloth and decorate it.

Instructors were chosen for their commitment to the craft and their specific knowledge set.

We tried to choose people mainly from the region, but also a few from further away.  People who ANWG members might not be able to learn from because the cost of getting to them might prove too great.  Bringing those people here means more people can have access to their knowledge.

But we are also blessed with a large number of textile practitioners here in BC, so many of our instructors were drawn from our own pool of very talented and knowledgeable people.  (Instructors are listed on the conference website.)

What do conference registrants get?  First of all, three seminar time slots.  The seminars range from introductory, historical, or technique exploration.  The seminars can be used to find out more about something that is of interest to see if further investigation is the direction to go.  Or maybe a little is known but resources are thin on the ground (eg ceinture fleche')  Or take knowledge to the next level, find out about more resources, maybe try a little hands on.

Seminars are a menu tasting while workshops are the full meal.

Traditionally there is a key note speaker.  We have invited Abby Franquemont for her unique perspective on Peru and North American approaches to textiles.  She is currently in Peru gathering up to the minute information and will no doubt have a lot to share.  (She may even have textiles and spindles for sale - we have offered to manage sales in my booth in the vendor hall.)

The fashion show is always fun.  I'm hoping that my challenge to think about pockets makes a splash in the fashion show, but also in the other exhibits.  Speaking of which, we now have in excess of $5000 in sponsored awards to give out - BUT!  You do have to be registered at the conference to be eligible for awards.

There will be some special interest group meetings - the time and place will be listed in the registration area.

But most of all?  Conferences are a time to meet with others who are as interested in textiles as you are.  There will be time to socialize.  There will be time to shop.  The vendor hall is filling with some great booths. 

There will be opportunities to be inspired - by textiles, by people.

Conferences are an opportunity to educate yourself and grow - as a textile practitioner and as a person.

Prince George isn't hard to get to.  WestJet and Air Canada both fly in/out.  Regional airlines such as Pacific Coastal and Central Mountain Air have flights.  Or drive.  BC is a beautiful place and the highways (97 and 16) intersect here.

A conference can be an adventure.  Of the very best kind.

Adventures...

...I've had a few...

obligatory pretty textile picture

As I was writing up my latest conference blog post I thought about adventures.  I remembered how many fantastic experiences I have had since I took up weaving, all the people I've met, the textiles that have inspired me.

My first conference was 1978 Convergence in Fort Collins, CO.  (I wrote about that recently so I won't repeat that story here.)

Having dipped my toes into the biggest textile event in North America, smaller regional events such as ANWG (Pacific northwest, western Canada) were far less intimidating - and far less expensive.  They were, if nothing else, within reach - either a one or two day drive.  So my first ANWG was Spokane in 1979.

After that I attended as many conferences as I could afford - ANWG as it moved around the region (Oregon, Montana, Washington, here in 1995, Victoria 1997, Alberta)  Convergence when I could scrape the pennies together.  I even managed to get to Vav in Sweden two years ago - a dream I thought I'd never manage.

Eventually I started teaching at conferences, my first in Montana in, um, 1983?  

On the way I met so many talented people.  Some became friends and the internet makes it possible to stay in touch.

As an introvert I was nervous about attending these events, but the people are just as fascinated about textiles as I am and if nothing else there is the learning in the workshops/seminars - and smaller groups make it easier to get to know people.  Then there are the exhibits.

At Victoria's ANWG in 2017 one of the entries in the fashion show was a silk shawl made by one of our instructors - Coleen Nimetz - made from silk she had spun (may even have raised the worms and reeled it, I can't remember) and then knitted.  It was a show stopper.  

(If you want to know about silk, sign up for her workshop!  She is incredibly knowledgeable.)

One of the down sides of organizing an event like a conference is that I have no time to actually take anything.  And because I helped  choose the people and their topics, I want to take every single one!

Early bird registration ends on April 15.  If you haven't made holiday plans yet, consider coming to Prince George and join us in a fibre adventure.  Y'all come!

Where DOES the Time Go?

Goodness, while I have been distracted with book, health issues, conference, suddenly a deluge of homework to mark and - gulp - deadlines to sign up for the Olds satellite classes are upon us!

There are several classes that need to be registered for very quickly - Tenino, WA and Cape Breton, NS.  These are satellite classes, presented outside of the Olds College campus.  (There was another satellite class on the Sunshine Coast but that one slid by on me already...Date: March 20 - 24, 2019, 9am - 4pm  Location: 12887 Sunshine Coast Hwy, Madeira Park, BC V0N 2H0)

Tenino, WA is just outside of Olympia, WA, about two hours south of the Sea-Tac airport (Seattle-Tacoma).

The class in Cape Breton is at the Gaelic College in Englishtown, NS.

The Tenino class is level two, following on from level one last year, May 6-10.

In Cape Breton, Dianne is trying to build on previous years and they are offering level one May 6-10, level three May 13-17 and level two May 20-24.

The other satellite program is in Elkin, NC and the dates in August are level 2 Aug 5-9, level one Aug 12-16 (I'm scheduled to teach these classes). 

Fibre Week will take place July 5-11 this year.  The master weaving and spinning classes will take place July 7-11.  I am reserving the dates although I have not yet heard if I will be teaching there this year.

I see on groups that people ask, from time to time, about stepping up their game, where can they go to learn more?  There are a number of options, but the Olds program is a bit different.  Firstly it is a for credit college certificate course.  However, you don't need to attend for two years, you go for five days in person instruction, then go home to fulfill the homework requirements. 

The focus is on understanding the principles and honing the physical skills.  There is a lot of theory, but also a lot of challenge in that the goal is to produce a textile as close to the course requirements as possible.

Classes are generally between 8 and 12 people, so not a huge group.  And the other advantage is that if you take one level at one campus, you can take the next level at a different campus. 

I am keeping fingers crossed that everything planned runs - although sometimes it doesn't always work out.  But if a class doesn't run at one location, or the dates aren't good for you, you can switch to a different location.

Dare to Dream

Fear of failure is a big obstacle to many people trying to move beyond their current level of skill.  But failure isn't something to be feared.  Unless of course the consequence of doing something is actual injury!

As a child I was never too worried about failing.  Oh sure I would be upset that things hadn't worked out but failure was just a step on the road to learning.

Sometimes the lesson was to not do that particular thing again.  The results were not what I desired.  But being analytical, it was just another step on the learning curve.

I suppose part of me was never too worried about what other people thought of me.  Falling flat on my face?  Oh well.  Get up and try again.

Part of my learning about failing was music lessons and dance lessons.  Didn't get it right?  Try again.  Again.  Again.  Until I did get it.

Flub at the music recital?  Oops.  Do better next time.  Practice more for next time.  Flub at the dance recital?  Oops.  Still not perfect.  Try harder.  And guess what?  That mistake?  That flub?  The world did not come crashing to an end.

A very important lesson to learn as a child.  A valuable lesson to learn as a child.

As an adult, being tossed into the deep end of the pool teaching?  Learn how to accept that I made a mistake, confess to the class I'd made a mistake.  Work to make it right.

As a weaver, setting up a warp that didn't turn out?  Accept that the results were not what I desired, change the end purpose, or choose the scissor solution and make an offering to the loom goddess.  Then move on to the next, absorbing the lesson, learn from it, make better decisions.

Before we can move forward, we have to break out of our limitations, face our fears.  And to it anyway.  Dare to dream.  Dare to dream big dreams.

Experience

The scarves on the cover of TIW are woven from Tencel.

I was an early adopter of Tencel.  It appealed to me on a number of levels.  As I put it into production, however, I found that it would sometimes behave beautifully - other times?  Not so much.

Since I am a rather analytic type of person, I began trying to figure out what was happening and why.

The two big issues were that - at times - the yarn would seem to become almost brittle and a thread 2 or 3 or more in from the selvedge would suddenly, and without much warning, snap.  It would also shed a huge amount of fluff.

As I worked with it I began to track the trend of it behaving in the summer (our humid months) and behaving badly in the winter (our arid months).

As more people began weaving with it there would be questions on the weaving groups about the sudden failure of the yarn not at the selvedge but several ends inside the cloth.

Typically all the usual culprits were blamed - excessive draw in, poor shuttle handling, poor bobbin winding, poor beaming, etc.  People who had never had the issue blamed the one who was having difficulty for the problem concluding that they had done something 'wrong'.  Because they had never had a problem like that.

I would, instead, ask if the person having the problem lived in a humid or an arid climate.  Inevitably the answer would be "arid".  Ah-ha, I thought, Tencel needs higher humidity to behave.  I began advising those having the problem to run a humidifier.

My point is this.  Your experience is your experience.  There are factors that contribute to your experience that may be significantly different from someone else's. 

When people tell me something must always or must never be done a certain way, I ask them what their experience was that led them to that conclusion.  Their experience may be different from mine.  They may live in a humid environment, have a different loom than mine, be using yarn different from what I am using.  I want to know the specifics so that I can judge whether or not their experience shines a light on mine.

We can learn from other people's experiences, not just our own.

Skilled Labour

For thousands of years, weaving - the complete supply line of raising and harvesting the fibre, spinning and weaving - was skilled labour.  Still is.

I just started reading a book that I'm going to promote here and then do a 'proper' book review when I get a little further into it - The Golden Thread by Kassia St. Clair.

But thoughts.  Oh boy, have I been having thoughts!  Especially paired with my work on crafting the ANWG conference, and my own craft practices, including teaching weaving, especially the Olds College Master Weaving program.

The creation of textiles became segmented many years ago because for one person to do everything?  Takes an enormous effort and a range of knowledge that is - quite frankly - awe inspiring.  Don't get me wrong, there are a few people who do know it and they have my admiration.

As a weaver, I know a little bit about spinning (spinning was how I got sucked into weaving, after all), a little bit about dyeing, a little bit about felting, knitting, lace making.  I've done embroidery, mostly cross stitch - and sewn my own clothing.

But I'm not particularly good or nuanced at anything except weaving.

Because the ability to create a wide range of qualities of cloth requires a wide range of knowledge.

People new to the craft don't always understand that weaving is not something you can pick up easily and get the results you want without putting in some time to learn.  If you want to become good at it, it takes time and effort to understand the principles, understand how weave structure works, how the loom works, how the various accessory tools work, how to fix mistakes (like the missed dent, and then the two threading errors in the current warp on the AVL), and last, but not least, how to properly wet finish the web so that you get the cloth you were aiming for.

It takes time to learn the language of the technology - because it is a technology, was, in fact, one of the the driving forces behind the industrial revolution.  It takes time to acquire the physical skills required to put a warp into the loom without a tangled mess.  Further skill is required to set the loom up and then weave it off.

These skills do not come overnight.  And it is really difficult to help someone when they don't have the vocabulary or understand the principles.

So - back to The Golden Thread.

It is a partial history of textiles. but mostly it is a love song about them.  If you trust my judgement in books?  Find this book now.  Today.  You won't regret it.

If you want to wait for the book review - it will be a while.  This is a book to chew thoughtfully, carefully, enjoying the flavour.  I'm not going to rush through it.  Just take my word.  Track it down.

Oh - and if you are a new weaver - take a class, either in real life or from Janet Dawson on Craftsy or Jane Stafford's on-line guild.  Take the time to learn.  It's perfectly fine to leap into the deep end of the pool, but it's nice to have a life saver handy...

Girl Friends

All of my girlfriends are textile people.  As I engaged more and more with weaving, writing about and teaching it, the more weavers/spinners/etc. I met and the more I found myself wanting to spend time with a group of people who were as passionate about what I was passionate about.

One of the ways I met most of these wonderful women was through attending conferences.  How better to expand your contacts by going to where other like minded people are going to congregate?

Eventually we started meeting up whenever we could, not just at conferences, but at other times as well.

I'm really hoping some of the people I have gotten to know in the fibre world will come to Prince George while the Prince George Fibre Arts Guilds throws a party to celebrate fibre, share their talents, delve into techniques perhaps heard about but not really studied, maybe due to not having a teacher or not knowing where to find literature.

My very first conference?  I knew three people there.  One was the person who talked me into attending Convergence 1978 in Fort Collins, CO.  One was my weaving instructor.  One was the owner of a shop I had been buying yarn from and visited a couple of times.  She introduced me to another weaver from her area.

Otherwise?  I was by myself, surrounded by literally hundreds of people.  My host had been detained by a family emergency.  My teacher warned me she had her own interests she wanted to pursue.  The shop owner?  I only knew because I'd written letters to her.  None of them were 'girl friends' to hang out with.

I'd never been on a university campus before and it was huge.  There were long distances between events, so those few people I knew to speak to?  Never saw them again for the entire event.

I'm an introvert and I was feeling very lonely and isolated.  In fact I was throwing myself a pretty serious pity party, when on a march from one event to the next I spotted a man weaving on a back strap loom, attached to a very young sapling.  There were two women close to him and one was explaining to the other that the man was from Peru.  He had come with an anthropologist who had encouraged the man to attend the conference and could give him a ride.

I didn't know if the man spoke Spanish, let alone English.  His journey to arrive at that place at that time had to have been much more difficult than mine.  I'd simply climbed on a plane, been met at the airport and driven to the conference. 

But even more importantly...I spoke English!

I chewed over my pity party for the rest of the walk to my destination, where I lined up - again.  And realized that if I really wanted to get to know people?  All I had to do was turn around and see if the people behind me were open to talking to a perfect stranger - but one who was at an event celebrating textiles, just like they were.

So I turned around and interjected a comment into their conversation and then happily chatted while the line moved forward.

I'm really hoping that even if someone doesn't know anyone else attending Confluences that they will come by themselves.  Because they will be surrounded by people just as fascinated by fibres as they are themselves.

And the campus?  Small.  Three blocks by three blocks, not huge with long walks.

Come to the party!